Alwion wrote:
> Hi Pete is 1/3 like 3 segments like the one mike had for sale earlier this year?
If "segments" means ratchet-planes... doing the math, 1/3 of the sabot is 2-&-1/3 segments. That's what my partial sabot has. Also, I laid a cloth measuring-tape around its circumference, and got 7-&-1/8 inches. Again, that is very nearly exactly 1/3 of a complete sabot's circumference. Also, my partial sabot has 1/2 of the central bolt-hole.
It clearly shows deep 7-groove "hook-slant" rifling, from the Brooke Rifle which fired it. Interestingly, it has numerous small internal casting bubbles visible in the broken edges -- which is why this sabot broke. The molten copper was at the wrong temperature during casting.
As I mentioned previously, it has a large (.65-inch) star stamped into it, near the bolt-hole. Actually, the star on mine is stamped twice.
> Would it display ok if I blocked the back side, or is all you can do with it lay it off to the side?
Because my partial sabot is perfectly flat, it would display okay (with a supporting block under the rest of the shell).
> I was shooting for 1/2 or better so it wouldn't wobble, how long would I have to look, as I think these seem to be rare?
As Dave mentioned, they are extremely rare to find when not still attached to a projectile. It's due to the fact that most Brooke Heavy Caliber projectiles were fired facing the ocean or a large river. Therefore, most sabots or pieces of their sabots which broke off upon firing landed in deep water, where they will almost certainly forever remain unfound.
> I know very little about this, so an opinion would be great, I may just be crazy and setting it on a "part" may be a bad idea.
Definitely NOT a bad idea. It's been done by quite a few collectors, when an intact rare sabot could not be found. Besides Brooke projectiles, its been done with Parrott, Mullane, and Harding sabot-pieces.
And if you ever do manage to find an intact 7-inch Brooke sabot for your shell, the partial sabot will still have value because of the star "arsenal-mark."
Regards,
Pete